The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1887-07-23


A railroad man, whose name cannot
now bereeailed, left this city last Sat
nrday with MT. Geo. wv. Huokaby, Of
Black bayou, for the purpose Of in,
specting the country. Ii is understood
that the gentleman represents capital.
lists and parties, who arc largely inter
ested in lands in Cameron, Calcasieu
and other parishes in Southwest Lon.
islana, who propose to build railroad
from Leesbnrg, in Cameron parish, to
Shreveport 1t is said that the pro.
Jected route will pass through the par.
iahes of Vernon, Sabine, Natchitoches,
)esoto to Shreveport, and is to be ext
tended to Jefferson, Texas, thence to
Texarkans. Ii has been intimated that
the Pgsjectors design to tap the For
dyCe road at some point to be deter
mined hereafter. The gentleman re-.
ferred TO stated that he was instructed
to examine the parishes east of Ehreve-
| port with view TO running q line to
gexsrkana, and would also inspect the
country between Shreveport and jeff
ersou. He said that the projectors of.
the road design to go to Fort Smith,
Ark. This information is laid before
onr readers as it reaches us, and if the
bnilding of this road is seriously con-
templated the parties interested will
experience no difficulty in securing
material aid from the people of this
city and country.--ShrsVsport Times.
The railroad man referred to in the
above is evidently Prof. a. Thomson,
of our city, who has been on a recent
prospecting tour through several of.
the Northern parishes in the interest.
of the projected Kansas City, Walk
ms and Cult Railway, of which we.
made mention last week. The build
ing of this road, in our opinion, is but
a question of a short time, as its pro-
jectOrs have ample capital at their
command, being backed by a most
powerful and wealthy syndicate of
English capitalists, whose representa-
tive in the United States is Mr.. Jabez
b. Watkins, president of the Wat
kins Bank of this city, and a gentleman
possessed of large individual means,
energy aud plnck, which, combined,
furnishes all the necessary requisites
/
for railroad building or any other
enterprise or gigantic undertaking.
Therefore, with all the essential ele-
ments fayoring and from the present
appearance of things, we confidently
believe that the building of the Kan
sss City, Watkins and Gulf Railway
is an assured fact, as it is one of i'm
pOriance and wOnld open up some of
as fine timbered and agricultural lands
as can be fonndin the South, which
in a short while would fill up with a
thrifty class of people that would
soon convert the forests into manu-
featuring centers and the waste lands
into green fields of cotton, corn and
grain the sound of the woodlands ak
would be heard on all sides and the
plowshare and pick would be kept
busy the year round, With such
inducements offered as Il means of
compensation, we feel that the Kansas
City, Watkins and Gulf Railway is
a certainty, and our friends in Cam
eron, Vernon, Sabine, DeSoto and
CadGO parishes can rest assured that
in less than two years time they will
see the iron horse from Lake Charles
come tearing through the timber like
a scared wolf, laden with the products
of Southwest Louisiana factories.